Courtin' Jayd (15 page)

“You look nice Nellie.” I decide to make nice first since it's going to take all the sweetness I've got to get through to my girl. “New shoes?” she looks down at the shiny heels and smiles. Cute shoes can do that to a girl.

“Yes. I saw them on the Third Street Promenade and couldn't resist,” she says, smiling at Chance.

“I don't care how much it costs to keep that smile on your face,” Chance says kissing her nose like she's a baby. What the hell? Please tell me this fool didn't just shell out at least four bills for her feet. He's ballin' but not rolling in dough like Jeremy's family is. Those shoes probably set him back quite a bit and Nellie's not even as into him as he is into her. Maybe he knows that and is hoping he can buy her love like Jeremy wanted to buy my forgiveness, but that never works.

“Isn't he the sweetest thing?” Nellie says, caressing Chance's hand and smiling at me like a jealous girlfriend. She needs to be put in check, and now.

“The sweetest,” I say, turning toward Jeremy and smiling big. “Jeremy, would you mind getting me a plate? These shoes are killing me.” I'm telling the truth about my mom's taste in shoes. We wear the same size but her foot is narrow and mine is wide. I'm surprised she let me wear them at all but a good man will make you forget the small annoying things in life.

“Sure thing, Lady J. You guys want something?” Jeremy says, picking up our plates before heading for the buffet. I look at Chance and he gets the signal that I want to be alone with Nellie. He probably thinks we want to talk more about our shoes but I could care less about her feet. It's her mouth I'm concerned with.

“I'll get our plates, Nellie, if you're ready to eat,” Chance says. Nellie looks at the empty china and rubs her stomach. The girl could use to gain some more weight even if she did put the weight back on she'd lost for Homecoming. Mickey used to be the smallest of us but that didn't last for long. I've always been in between.

“Thank you, sweetie. But no carbs for me please.” Nellie takes a sip of her iced tea and watches the guys walk over to the table where the food is piled high. I look at Nellie and we stare at each other for a while. Why do we have to have heat between us?

“Nellie, what's up with you?” I say, breaking the ice. She looks down at her shoes to avoid my eyes. “You're hating on me and Mickey for no reason and it needs to stop now.”

“No reason,” Nellie says with more anger in her voice than I expected. “You both take me for a joke, like I can't possibly have a man of my own.” What the hell? What is this girl smoking?

“What the hell are you talking about, Nellie? Who said you couldn't have your own man?” Nellie rubs her hands across her lap as if to straighten her dress but I know she's trying to avoid looking at me because she knows I'm right.

“You did when you didn't introduce me to Nigel properly, and Mickey flaunts it every time she takes the attention away from guys we meet. She already has a man. Why does she have to take the available ones too?” I see my girl's been holding back on some issues she's had for a while. I'm not the mind reader in the family and I need to make that clear to her.

“Nellie, how is anyone supposed to know what you're feeling if you don't tell someone? I had no idea you felt this way, for real. You know you're flyy, girl. You can have any man you want.” Nellie finally looks up at me and forces a thin smile across her face.

“You sure you don't swing both ways? You sound like you like me a little too much,” she says, lightening up. “But for real though, Jayd, this whole thing with Nigel is too much. Mickey can't get away with this.”

“Nellie, she's not getting away with anything. Nigel's not a fool. He knows what he's getting into even if he doesn't know Mickey's full intentions.” My reasoning looks like it's starting to seep into Nellie's thick skull. I hope it does for her sake because having Mickey as her enemy is never fun.

“I know he's a big boy, Jayd, but this still isn't fair.” Our eyes meet again and I can see the pain she's feeling. But taking it out on her best friend isn't the answer and it's not going to make her dreams come true. If anything, Mickey will unleash a nightmare Nellie won't soon forget.

“Nellie, you sound like a two-year-old who didn't get everything she wanted for Christmas. Life isn't fair but it's not about you or Nigel or even Mickey for that matter. It's about the baby, and they as the parents will choose how to deal with the situation.” Speaking of children, Jeremy, Chance, Mike, and Gary walk back to our table with our plates and a basketball in Gary's hands. Please tell me these fools aren't about to ball, especially not the drunk ones.

“But that's just it, Jayd. If there's a chance Nigel might not be the daddy he deserves to know. I feel like as his friend I should tell him the truth. I'm surprised you don't feel the same way.” Oh no, she didn't go there with me.

“Maybe that's because I've known him longer. You've known Nigel for all of what, two months, and you're ready to swear your loyalty to him and not your girl you've known for two years. That sounds suspicious to me, Nellie.” I hate to call her out like that but that's what real friends do. They don't rat you out to other people the first chance they get.

“So what are you saying, that I was waiting for the opportunity to turn Nigel against Mickey and get him all to myself?” I prop my head to one side and let her answer her own stupid question.

“Well, if the stiletto fits,” I say as the dudes approach the table. I hope she thinks very carefully about the conversation we just had. If she wants to be so honest she should start by being true to herself about why she does what she does, especially when it concerns her girls.

“Hey ladies. Would you mind moving dinner to the basketball court by the garage? We want to get a quick game in,” Chance says, pulling out Nellie's chair with his free hand. He passes her the near-empty plate while she puts her shawl around her shoulders. Nellie is a pretty girl, just way too high-maintenance for most of the brothas I know.

“What is it, sobers against lushes?” I say, making everyone laugh. I'm glad they think it's so funny because I was being serious. This is going to be the most ridiculous game of ball ever. I could see brothas in the hood getting their game on at a holiday function, like my uncles at Christmas. But they play first and drink later. We're always serious about basketball.

“This Jayd's a keeper Jeremy. She's a witty little one, isn't she?” his dad says as he walks up to my chair and hugs me tightly. From the smell of his breath, if I had a match I could light his entire mouth on fire. I reluctantly allow the second or maybe third white person ever to hug me up.

“Yes, she is.” Jeremy smiles down at me while he holds my plate over my head, laughing at the scene. He's such a tease. Nellie looks from me to Jeremy and smiles big like something's up between the two of us again. I have to make sure she understands I just came with him tonight as a friendly gesture, nothing more.

“Alright, to the court. I want my five hundred dollars before the old man chickens out,” Michael says, snatching the ball away from their dad and leading the way back across the yard. The other guests are enjoying their evening engaged in good conversation and food. We've only been here a little while but it's a cool vibe. Aside from his mom, Mrs. Bennett, and Nellie's hater rays, I'm enjoying my evening. But I look away from Jeremy's mesmerizing blues to see two of the most obnoxious people walk through the back gate—it seems I've spoken too soon.

“There's my beautiful wife now,” Reid says, holding his girlfriend's hand and heading our way. Laura looks pissed to see me here and I feel the same way. I know she's tired of seeing me daily in rehearsals, but not as tired as I am of her boyfriend calling me his wife.

“What are Reid and Laura doing here? Don't tell me Tania's home for the holidays too,” I say as I follow Jeremy and the rest of the crew toward the garage.

“It's a neighborhood thing. I sure as hell didn't invite him,” Jeremy says, looking down at me. He puts his free arm around my shoulder but I want the other one that's holding my plate. I've waited long enough to get my grub on.

“Happy cluck-cluck day,” Reid says to Nellie. He looks tipsy and Nellie looks highly amused. I'm glad she's in a good mood. I need her pleasant if she's going to hold up her end of the bargain and make nice with Mickey even if she hasn't fully agreed to it yet. By the time we all get together on Saturday for the practice game at Venice Beach and the session later on that night at Rah's house, I'm sure she'll be completely convinced to see things my way.

“Reid, where's your father? We were supposed to shoot a game of pool. That cheapskate owes me his best bottle of whiskey from the last game he lost,” Mr. Weiner says. I see the stakes are high when playing at the Weiner household. The last thing he needs is more liquor at his disposal.

“Are we going to play or what?” Michael says, shooting a perfect jump shot to get the energy flowing. I see ballin' runs through their veins in more ways than one. Justin joins the game and Tammy sits down at the table across from Nellie and me to cheer our boys on.

“I just hope they don't try and kill each other like they did last time,” Tammy says, hugging herself tightly. It's chilly out here and all she has on is a hoodie, some shorts, and a pair of worn Uggs, so I know this heat lamp isn't doing her much good. I on the other hand am burning up in this sweater. But that's not going to keep me from enjoying my food and watching the game. It's not as exciting as my brothas playing, but it's entertaining nonetheless.

“Hey, ease up, man,” Chance says to Michael, who's supposed to be on his team. He wants to block his father's shot so badly he'll do anything to get to him, including run over his own teammate. There's some serious competition between the two of them. Before Chance can free himself from the mess, Michael pushes him out of the way to block Gary's layup, sending Chance to the ground, where he lands on his right knee.

“Foul,” Justin's high-ass voice emotes. There are no referees at home even when we do need them. Chance curls up in pain, holding his right knee to his chest. This doesn't look good, especially not for the big game on Sunday. KJ will talk shit forever if Rah, Nigel, and Chance are forced to forfeit because of an injury.

“Are you okay, Chance?” Nellie says, running up to him. I would but I've got gravy all over my hands and I'm not a nurse. Besides, Chance has taken a lot more than a fall before. He'll shake it off in a couple of minutes.

“Yeah I'm good. I just need some rest. Don't tell Rah and Nigel, okay? I can still play in the game on Sunday.”

“You better, or Nigel and Rah will have your ass in a sling for real,” I say, taking another bite of the succulent turkey and gravy. This food is banging and was worth dealing with all the obstacles to get to it.

“Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me,” Nellie says as she escorts Chance to our table to sit out the rest of the game. Jeremy joins us and lets the other two go at each other since that was the plan in the first place. I hope Nellie's still good at keeping secrets when it counts because if she's not, we will all have a lot to lose when it comes down to what's really important: whipping KJ's ass.

“S
o did you have fun?” Jeremy says on our ride home. “I hope my family wasn't too much for you like they usually are.” I was hesitant at first about hanging out at Jeremy's house again but I'm glad I went. His mom and Mrs. Bennett disappeared, leaving me alone for the rest of the night. I almost forgot they were there, which made the evening much better.

“They are a bit much but it was fun to see your brother win the game.” I laugh at the memory of Michael collecting five one hundred dollar bills from their dad. For a couple of drunks they put on a very entertaining game. Chance and Jeremy enjoyed stuffing their faces with Tammy and me while talking shit about the game at the same time. Nellie picked at her vegetables and pampered Chance's knee for the remainder of the evening and he enjoyed the extra attention. I think we all had a pretty good time.

“Yeah, they can get like that when there's a crowd around. Sorry you had to witness that.” Jeremy turns the heat up to high as we slowly make our way down the winding path leading away from Palos Verdes and back to Pacific Coast Highway. The stars are shining brightly and the moon is full, making the ocean water seem silver from our vantage point. The waves crash against the shore, making me long for the simplicity at the beginning of our relationship when night beach visits were the regular.

“Do you ever wish we could go back to our first date?” Jeremy says, almost taking the words right out of my mind.

“Yes I do.” It's too bad that in reality his dad's not as cool as he was tonight. And his baby mama's drama is just as bad as Rah's in my opinion. “If things were only that simple.” If I knew a spell that could get us back to that moment in time and keep us suspended there, I would cast it in a minute.

“There are no cupcakes you could make to go back in time, huh?” Jeremy says, making light of his newfound knowledge of my spiritual heritage. On top of him being the father of Tania's baby, I don't think I could ever truly share my total self with him and that's the major problem. Rah understands me for who I am, even though I'm starting to see that his habit of taking me for granted isn't going away anytime soon. Maybe there's something I can make for that, but that's not going to help me deal with Jeremy.

“No, I wish there were though. But time is one thing we can't get back.” Jeremy takes his right hand off the steering wheel and places it on my left hand resting on my lap. I know I probably shouldn't let it stay there but I don't want him to move. Besides, I'm sure Rah's holding Trish's something right now since he seems to be rejecting the tea I gave him. And like my mom said, I don't have any rings on my finger and I'm still feeling Jeremy.

“I'm going to win you back Jayd. I miss being with you too much not to keep trying.” Why do dudes always want you when they can't have you? Well, I'm going to enjoy the attention Jeremy chasing me will undoubtedly bring and maybe it'll make Rah see that I won't wait around forever for him to get his act together. I hope Rah also checks his ego at the door when it comes to the game on Sunday because I don't think Chance will be able to play from the looks of his limp tonight.

“Jeremy, we've already been down this road. Can't we just enjoy where we are right now without the pressure?” Jeremy turns the corner and goes around the bend, following the road to a cliff overlooking the ocean. He stops the car and turns the already soft music even lower, giving me his undivided attention.

“Jayd, I've never felt this strongly about any other girl I've ever met. I don't mean to pressure you but I want you back and I don't want to wait.” He takes my hand and lifts it to his lips, kissing my knuckles gently and making me tingle all over. Damn, this isn't good. He opens my palm and kisses that too before lifting my hand to his face, pulling me forward into our second first kiss.

I stay in the moment of his soft lips for a while, enjoying fantasizing about us being together again. But I'm going to stick to my mom's advice and not commit to being anyone's girl right now. Honestly, I don't think either Jeremy or Rah are ready to be in a serious relationship and neither am I. But I do think I've made my final decision about the situation.

“What are you thinking about?” Jeremy says, pulling back to take a breath. The moonlight hits his eyes and compliments his olive complexion. He takes his right hand and caresses my chin. He's so sweet when it's just the two of us.

“I was just thinking we shouldn't have to give up what we have if we're not ready to.” I know he thinks we're on the exact same page but I'm not thinking we should get back together completely.

“Cool, then this means you'll be my girl again?” he flicks the gold “J” bangle he gave me and smiles at me before kissing me again. I don't want to end our session but I need to set him straight now.

“Jeremy, I like this but we can't get back together,” I say between kisses. I know he heard me because as close as we are we could share ears. “Jeremy, did you hear me?” I try to back up from him but he's relentless in his passion.

“Jayd, let's talk later. You're letting me kiss you and that's really all I want to think about right now.” He looks down at me and smiles, looking like he's going to eat me up. Then he bends down to kiss my neck. He knows I'm speechless at this point. He's right; we don't have to talk right now. I just want to enjoy Jeremy in this moment as much as he's enjoying me.

 

After Jeremy dropped me off on Thursday night, which was actually more like early Friday morning, I went to sleep and didn't wake up until late Friday afternoon and decided to chill at home for the rest of the day. Cedric came up and gave me some business, letting me touch up his braids. Rah texted me again but I didn't respond and don't plan on it. He knows I'll see him later on today at the practice game and Jeremy will be there too. I talked to him briefly yesterday and look forward to seeing them both today. This should be fun if nothing else. I just hope my girls are able to be civilized today. I'd hate to see them get into it at the beach. It's a nice warm day outside and the folks will be out at Venice. I don't want them making a scene and the cops out there don't play.

 

“So how was your Thanksgiving? Was the family happy to meet you?” I ask Mickey as she and I settle into the bleachers while Nigel and Rah warm up. Nellie and Chance aren't here yet but Rah already reserved their spot on the court. The brothas playing now look like they just got out of the pen and are taking the ball to the basket like it talked about their mamas.

“Girl, they were cool as hell. I guess they weren't feeling Tasha too much and were happy to see Nigel has another girlfriend now.”

“So I'm assuming you didn't tell them they were going to be grandparents in a few months,” I say. Nigel and Rah are shooting the ball back and forth, waiting for the brothas to finish their game. Usually when it's packed like this the brothas play until twenty, no matter if it's one-on-one or a team playing.

“Of course not. We want them to get to know me and the holidays are perfect for that. We were thinking of dropping the news on New Year's.” She opens a big bag of Cheetos and starts munching on them. I reach for a handful and she looks at me like I'm a lion reaching for her infant. I quickly grab a few and she protectively tucks the rest of the snacks under her jacket. This girl is nuts.

“Good, everyone will be too hung over to pay y'all crazy asses too much attention.” Mickey smacks me in the arm, making me laugh. I don't know how she plans on hiding her growing belly. She's always eaten for two but now there's clear evidence of her impending motherhood.

“How was your holiday? Did Rah take you out to eat or did y'all stay in?” Mickey's not going to be happy to hear that I spent my holiday with Jeremy but I'm not going to lie about me being his friend, to her or anyone else that asks.

“Rah ended up spending the day with Trish and her brother.”

“Oh Jayd, that sucks. I'm sorry, girl. You should've called me. I would've come to get you and you could have chilled with us.”

“That's sweet, Mickey but I had a good time without Rah. I went over Jeremy's house and had a ball.” Mickey stops chewing in mid-crunch.

“Have you lost your mind, Jayd? Don't you remember what he just did to you?” she says resuming her munching. “And Rah's not going to be too happy about this.”

“Well, he'll have to get used to it because I'm not going to stop seeing either one of them. And not only that, Chance hurt himself playing around at Jeremy's on Thursday and Jeremy may have to fill in for him.”

“What,” Mickey says almost choking. “Does Rah know about all of this?”

“No. We didn't speak much in the car on the way here. I wanted to wait to see what happened today. Maybe Chance isn't as hurt as he looked and then I can wait to tell him after the game. I don't want that on his mind while he's playing against KJ. As far as he knows, I'm still pissed about him ditching me for Trish.”

“Aren't you? I mean that must be why you would date a fool whose daddy is a racist,” Mickey says.

“I try not to judge my friends by the mistakes of their parents or even the stupid ones they make themselves,” I say, gritting my teeth and Mickey knows exactly who I'm referring to. “None of us are unworthy of a little mercy, are we, Mickey?”

“Whatever, Jayd. I just hope you know how much you're hurting Rah with this and he doesn't even know yet.” Mickey's right. Rah's going to be hotter than hell when he finds out but he has no one to blame but himself for me getting close to Jeremy again. I just hope he doesn't let it ruin our friendship. Mickey and I notice Nellie and Jeremy walking up to the court with a limping Chance a few steps behind them. Rah and Nigel follow our eyes and look at each other like they're doomed.

“What the hell happened to you?” Nigel says to Chance. He nods “what's up” to Jeremy and Nellie. Mickey and I walk down the bleachers to greet our friends.

“Oh, I thought Jayd would have told you,” Chance says, hugging me and greeting Mickey. “I twisted my knee messing around on Thursday.” Rah's jaw tightens as he looks from Chance to Jeremy and gets why Jeremy's here.

“Hell no,” Rah says, gripping the basketball tightly in his hands. “If you can't play I've got someone else in mind.” Nigel looks at Rah and swats the ball out of his hands, catching the rebound. Rah looks at his friend and waits for his response.

“Hey man, this is our game not yours, and Jeremy can ball.” Rah looks at Jeremy and then at me. I can feel him probing me with his eyes to see if something else is going on. I hope he can't read my feelings because I'm happy to see Jeremy here. I think the three of them make a formidable team against KJ and his boys. But if they allow their personal feelings to get in the way we're all going to lose and that's not an option.

“Man, please. I know you're not serious about letting this punk ball with us. How's that going to look?” Rah looks Jeremy up and down like he wants to punch him and Jeremy holds his ground, unmoved by Rah's sheer hatred of him.

“Who's got next,” yells a sistah in a bikini with a whistle hanging around her neck. It's a nice day for November but it isn't that hot. I have on a bikini top underneath my shirt and a sweater around my hips just in case the weather changes, which isn't unusual for southern California, but I also have on my Nike sweats, not bikini bottoms like this girl. She's got to be a little chilly, no matter how cute she thinks she is.

“We do,” Nigel says, throwing the ball at Jeremy, who jogs to the scrimmage line and throws the ball back to Nigel. Rah looks at the two of them and doesn't budge from his spot. Seeing Rah's untouched by his words, Nigel smiles and throws the ball to his boy. Rah catches the pass and dribbles the ball, taking it to the hoop over Jeremy's head. The crowd breaks out in laughter as Rah prepares to take Jeremy to school. If Jeremy plays anything like he did against KJ the first time, Rah's in for a surprise.

“Damn, Jayd, Jeremy's about to get played, huh?” Mickey says licking orange powder off her fingers. She's ignoring Nellie completely and Nellie is apparently returning the favor. As long as they don't create any more drama I could care less if they talk to each other. It may be better this way for the time being.

“Don't you remember the game against KJ a couple of weeks ago, Mickey? Jeremy can ball.” Nigel catches the rebound and passes it to Jeremy, who dribbles the ball while focusing on the basket.

“Yeah, for a white boy. You know Rah can wipe the court with his ass.” Mickey blows a kiss to Nigel, who pretends to catch it. The two of them are starting to make me sick so I know they must be getting to Nellie. Jeremy proves my point to Mickey by shooting a perfect three-point shot from where he's standing, at least three feet back from the actual line.

“I think they've both got game,” I say and I mean in more ways than one. And honestly it would be nice to see both of them kick KJ's ass together.

“Whatever, Jayd. That was a lucky shot. When they start hustling on the court, let's see if your white boy can hold his own.” She does have a point but I think Jeremy can get down and dirty if he has to. Rah and Nigel play so rough, sometimes lips and eyes get busted. That's how the brothas who just left the court were playing. They're on the sidelines now trying to calm down, but one dude is teasing the other for losing and the heat is rising.